Tech Tips

Tech Tips

How to change screen resolution? Right click on an empty part of the desktop, left click "Screen Resolution" on the menu that pops up, click on the down arrow next to "Resolution", Slide the bar up or down to increase or decrease the screen resolution

How do I download YouTube video clips? The easiest way to download YouTube clips onto your computer, for future viewing is to use one of the free programs such as "Free YouTube Downloader" from www.download.com. It also has a handy file conversion option for converting to different video and sound formats.

Cant see attachments in my email program Question: When an email comes in with an attachment I cant see the attachment and there is a red x, how do I open the attachment? Answer: This is a security feature in your email program to stop you opening attachments that might contain viruses. To see/open the attachment proceed as follows (this is for Windows live mail but the steps will be similar in other email programs) Open Windows Live mail. For Windows Live Mail 2011- Click Home, click the down arrow under Junk, click safety options at top, remove tick next to Block images and other content in HTML. For previous versions of Windows Live Mail- press the Alt key on your keyboard, a menu will pop up at the top of the Windows Live mail window, click Tools, Security Options, click the Security tab at the top right, remove the tick from the box that says "Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that might contain a virus". Warning: You should use extreme caution when opening attachments, only open them if they are expected and you know they come from a reputable source as they may contain viruses.

How do I get the drop down menus in Vista and Windows 7: If you are used to Windows XP and want to know how to get the drop down menus at the top of "Computer" and Internet Explorer in Vista or Windows 7 here's how: When you are in the "Computer" or IE window press the "Alt" key and the menus will pop up. If you want the menus to stay permanently for the "Computer" window click Tools, click Folder Options, click View (top middle) click "Always Show Menus" to put a tick next to this option. For IE click View, click Toolbars, click "Menu Bar" to put a tick next to this option.

Latest Email Scam: Latest email scam: You may receive an email from the "IRD" saying that you have a refund due to you and to click on a link. This is a scam to exploit money, IRD will not email. Do not click on the link.

Backup Important Files: If you have important files you should be backing them up on a regular basis, between once a day to once a week depending on how important they are and how often you update them. There are many reasons that cause files to be lost such as viruses, power surges, hardware failure etc. We regularly have clients coming in wanting us to recover lost files, while this is often possible it is much easier if you backup your files. There are several different devices that you can backup to such as: Flash Drives these are relatively inexpensive and easy to use, simply plug the flash drive in a new drive will pop up in Computer to which you can copy your files. The only disadvantage of flash drives is that they are relatively smal, up to about 64Gb. Another option is an external hard drive. These operate in a very similar way to the Flash drive above but come in a large capacity up to about 2 Tb. Another option that most systems come with is the DVD Writer drive - these write to DVD disks which hold about 4Gb of data.

Phone Scam We are getting a number of clients reporting that they have been rung by Microsoft (or other well known tech companies) and being told that their computer has a virus or other fault. This is a scam to try and exploit money out of you. Microsoft will never ring you unless you ring them first. If you get such a call immediately hang up, if they ring back contact your phone company or police and report the scam. If you have paid money to the scammer you can ring your credit card company and get the amount reversed. If you have had such a call you may wish to drop your system into us to run malware scans. There is a chance that the scammer may have already infected your system, as they often have extensive details on the person they ring, which they could only get through malware monitoring your system.

Wireless Security: Do you have a wireless router and if so is it secure? It is important that your wireless router is secure i.e. that it has a password stopping other people accessing your system. This is even more important now that the Copyright amendment bill has been passed. If a neighbour or mobile hacker were to download copyright files through your connection you could be liable for the fine. If you are unsure how to secure your router, give us a ring, we are happy to do this for you.